Doha: During the month of January 2021, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry carried out extensive inspection campaigns to monitor if commercial suppliers are complying with stipulated laws and ministerial decisions concerned with consumer protection.
The inspection campaigns resulted in uncovering 115 different violations including offering discounts and promotions without obtaining the necessary license from the competent department; displaying expired products; describing the commodity, advertising it, or displaying it in a manner that contains false or deceptive information; and failing to offer a service warranty for an appropriate period, refunding customers or reoffering the service in an appropriate manner.
Penalties imposed on retail outlets included administrative closures and fines ranging from between QR5,000 and QR30,000, as per the laws and decisions regulating the work of the Consumer Protection Department.
Inspection campaigns found 115 violations, as follows:
2 - no announcement of prices
2 - not using Arabic language in the data related to products
5 - non-compliance with mandatory bulletin prices for vegetables and fruits
1 - non-compliance with the mandatory bulletin prices for fish and seafood
9 - lack of commitment in the service offered and denied to return the amount paid or do service properly
4 - non-compliance with offering guarantees related to the product
1 - non-commitment to return the product with a refund of its value or exchange
6 - not write all the explanatory data related to the product
6- not issue invoices with full data
8 - not issuing invoices in Arabic
1 - not provide spare parts for durable goods during a specific period of time and not provide the declared guarantees
3 - not defining in a clear manner the service details, features, characteristics and prices
13 - make a promotional offer without obtaining the necessary license from the competent department
24 - making discounts without obtaining necessary license from the Concerned Department
16 - expired products
14 - description of the commodity or its advertisement or display in a manner that contains false or deceptive information
The Ministry stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of the Consumer Protection Law and its regulations and will intensify its inspection campaigns to crack down on illegal practices. The Ministry said it will refer those who violate laws and Ministerial decisions governing the work of the department to the competent authorities that will in turn take appropriate action against the perpetrators in order to protect consumer rights.